Posted here with permission of Press Publications. Thanks to Classmate Jane McGrew for providing the Press 'clipping.' In a league of her own
By
Marie Lazzara
This is the 11 th of a 12-part series focusing on York High School graduates of 1954 who are preparing to celebrate their 45th reunion. Some have gone on to fame and fortune while others have stayed in Elmhurst trying to make a difference in their home town.
The adjective that Jeanne Davik uses to describe herself is "competitive."
In high school, her competitivene came through in everything she did -- from getting good grades to excelling at extracurricular activities such as choras and debate in the school's Roundtable Club.
The school's various activities fostered Davik's inborn competitive spirit.
"I can't say that high school made me competitive; I've always been that way," Davik said. "Yet a big high school like York, with several thousand students, definately encourages commpetition.
"I was in a lot of clubs and organizations, and each elected a slate of officers. The music and drama departments always had competitive tryouts. I especially remember the tryouts for senior choir and its vanous ensembles."
Today, Jeaxme Davik, whose maiden name is Wolter, uses her energies to educate the DuPage community about political issues. She serves as president of the Elmhurst chapter of the League of Women Voters. She resides in Elmhurst with her husband, John. Davik retired fiom the legal publishing house Commerce Clearing House as a Chicago-based sales representative in 1996.
Exploring her horizons
She received a small view of what York would be like by sneaking into its football games as a junior high student.
When she entered York, it presented her with a broader counnunity.
"I was really very eager to go to York; I always liked school," she said. "Going to York brought together not only the students in Elmhurst, but from Lombard and Villa Park. It really expanded horizons a lot."
Davik especially remembers the time she spent on the Ys Tales yearbook staff and being a Junior Red Cross representative.
Davik also explored the world of the high school choir. She took direction under choral director C. Eldon Harris. It was his teaching that stimulated her interest in music. Today, she belongs to the Redeemer Lutheran Church choir in Elmhurst.
"I think the area that really stuck with me the longest was music," she said. Harris was the choir director and he really introduced us to quality music, including religious music that schools in this day and age really cannot do.
There was also a lot of opportunities for going to different schools to perform and having competitions. It was a very good experience all the way around."
Some of her high school experiences occurred in student-run organizations such as the Roundtable Club, in which teenagers discussed current issues of the day.
"I was looking back at some of the material, and there was information about a trip to Northwestem University that some of the people from the club attended," she said.
"Their topic struck me as being so like the League of Women Voters. They debated a resolution that the president of the United States be elected by the direct vote of the people.
It's typical of the kind of thing that I like to do. I like to discuss, argue and debate issues. The Roundtable gave me that type of opportunity.
Davik said high school "was a time of social sensitivity," in which the emphasis was on popularity and a certain labeling of students -- things not uncommon to today's teenagers.
"The social strata is very rigid in high schools." she said.
"The football players and the cheerleaders are the 'royalty,' and all of us peons on the lower level were always interested in our status and popularity.
"I can't say that I was a prankster or a clown. That was a way of getting attention if you were not a football player or a cheerleader. I wasn't beautiful or charming. I suppose everybody was concerned about popularity at that time and how they ranked.
"Another concern of mine was that I always had gotten good grades, and that could be a negative in terms of status. At that point in time, people who got good grades were labeled as 'nerds.' And so it was very important to me that I had dates, went steady and had a date for the prom to break that nerdy kind of mold.
Besides the activities, Davik recalls the teachers who had a positive influence on her. Davik's homeroom teacher as a sophomore, Ellen Bass, encouraged her to pursue a college track.
"When I went to, high school, I had in mind the good experiences and activities, but I didn't look at high school as preparation for college," she said. "There hadn't been any women in our family that went to college and not all that many men.
"My mother had taken secretaiial course and had worked as a secretary until she got married. When she had children on the way, she dropped out. I sort of saw myself in that same mold.
"Bass was one person that took time to talk to me about what my plans were even though it was my sophomore year. I had a record of very good grades, yet I really wasn't signing up for college-prep courses for junior year. She was the one that said, "You know, I think your beter give this a little more thought. She opened up college as a possibility for me."
Davik's path would one day lead her to return to York as part of the school's faculty.
Ms. Davik goes to York "I remember the first open house," she said. 'When you have students who are bright you have supportive parents. When it came to open-house time, when all the parents could come, I had people in every seat. They were very interested in school and they wanted to find out about the classes. "As a brand-new teacher, this was kind of a shock. I said to myself, "Well, if this is what you want to do, this is what you've got to do." Being a teacher and no longer a student took some getting used to. Davik remembers running into one of her former instructors, math teacher Delbert Meitz. "I was faced with these same teachers that I had before," she said. "I remember seeing Meitz in the halls at York. I said very primly, 'Hello, Mr. Meitz.' He was down the hall by then, but he turned around and said 'It's Del!' in a loud voice, as if to say: "We are not in this relationship of teacher and student. We are now faculty equals.' " She found her experience to be a "challenge" as she taught students in special high-level academic dasses." Her stint at York also brought her close to her husband, John, a chemistry teacher and former head of the school's science department. He also taught at Willowbrook High School in Villa Park. It was one of the best things that happened to me at York," she said After one year at York, Davik went to Northwestern University to earn a master's degree in English. After graduating in 1960, she taught at Willowbrook. In 1964, she and John married. In the mid-1960s, the Daviks lived in England for a year when John became part of a Fulbxight Teacher Exchange program. He taught at the London Oratory Grannnar School, which is similar to an Amexican college-preparatory high school. During their stay, the Daviks met politicians at formal gatherings and even had a small brush with royalty. "We were invited to the queen mother's garden garparty," Jeanne Davik said. "I was presented to her and I had to do my little curtsey. (Meeting her) was an interesting experience. You just had a few moments to greet her, and she said a few words and you moved on because there was a large group of guests." Besides the positive expenences, Davik said that feelings about the Vietnam War spilled onto the English streets. "Because this was in 1965 to 1966, it wasn't one positive experience after another,' she said. "It was during the time of the Vietnam War, and there were a lot of demonstrations in front of the U.S. Embassy. And Amexicans were often questioned about the war. It was a political awakening to an international event and how it impacted people." After the program and another semester of teaching, the Daviks retumed home to start a family She gave birth to Alex in 1967 and to Helen in 1968. In 1980, she traded careers and went into sales at Commerce Clearing House. Living in Elmhurst gives Davik and her husband the opportunity to pal around with former class of 1954 students, including Stu Anderson and Ruth James Trondsen. They sometimes get together for a game of bridge or attend a play at the Goodman Theatre, Davik said. Davik plans to attend the upcoming reunion for the same reason given by many of her former classmates: to catch up on the good times they had at York. The thought of the Sept. 25 reunion gives Davik pause. "Reunions always seem to prompt ambivalent feelings," she said. "As our numbers decline, we're reminded of our mortality. And yet --even after 45 years we're still proud of how far we've come since high school graduation. I'm eager, not only to exchange memories, but to catch up on current news about my old classmates."
Joining The League During the early part of the decade, a friend had introduced her to The League of Women Voters. It was a perfect match for the former York High School debater. Davik explained that the league is a national, political nonpartisan and not-for-profit organization with chapters on the state and local levels. Members study an issue before reaching a position. During the 1970s, Davik and fellow members discussed national issues such as the Equal Rights Amendment and local concems such as the Palmer Drive underpass in Ehnhurst. Current issues involve building a new library in Ehnhurst and campaign-finance refonn. The Ehnhurst chapter holds candidates meetings during school, City Council and Park District elections and offers educational forunis. "I personally like the intellectual stimulation of being around this group of people;' she said. "I like the fact that the league's issues are wide-ranging, since the commumty could be Elmhurst, Illinois, the U.S.A. or the world. And I like the fact that the league doesn't just complain about what's wrong in the government and society. They try to do something about it."
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